This week’s blog post takes the form of transcribed case papers from a soldier treated at Moss Side Military Hospital in 1915: Private John Cox.
Transcribed by Alana Barton
Edited by Amy Walling, Manchester Metropolitan University
Army Form I. 1237
Medical Case Sheet
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No. in Admission and Discharge Book.
Year 1915
Station and Date.
24/3/15 No 12 General Hospital
Red Cross H Maghull
March 25th
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Regimental No. Surname. Christian Name. Age 7256 Cox John 53 yrs
Rank Unit. Service. Private Royal Irish 36 yrs at home
Disease…Melancholia
Patient was at the Front Scour (?) at Dicky Bosh? amongst much cannonading & shells bursting. Requested 1st sick for Frost Bite of feet about 5 weeks ago at No 11 Gen. Hosp. then left it about a month ago for the Convalescent Base for 2 nights, then passed onto the 27th Brigade at Rouen & been there ever since doing fatigue work. He is a very difficult person to get anything like a coherent account of his illness, complain or history – he won’t XXX questions, but simply bursts out crying & sobbing when spoken to. Says he is not ill and nothing is the matter with him. Memory is bad. Will not say why he is crying. He is depressed, quiet except crying fits every four minutes. Tongue clean, Bowels regular. Pulse normal. Obscure pains in head for some long time. Head and body are moist with perspiration. Sight misty and XXX, unable to read & says glasses would not help him. Is very depressed. Sits by the stove and stares vacantly into, or gazes intently at the “ceiling” of tent & twiddles his thumbs incessantly. Says his comrades have been tormenting him and teasing him for a month or so and also says they have thrown stones at him on several occasions & made his life a miserable one & badgering (?) him about, both by XXX and h.e.o’s. his intellect is deficient somewhat demented, dreams badly at night. Is in a kind of dream during the day. He does not look you in the face when spoken to but turns his head deliberately to the right or left side away from you: when left alone he appears ½ asleep & speak to him & he is quickly startled looks quickly up. He has obsessions that everyone wants to work and XXX him to death. He is always XXX.
Spencer Dawn Capt RAMC
Above observations confirmed. Pte very difficult to get anything out of. No signs of organic disease. Past and family histories – nil given.
H.W. Wilshire Lt RAMC
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Army Form I. 1237
Medical Case Sheet
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No. in Admission and Discharge Book. 232
Year 1915
Station and Date. Moss Side Admitted 27.3.15
17.4.15
23.7.15 |
Regimental No. Rank. Surname. Christian Name. 7265 Private Cox John
Unit. Age. Service. 3rd R. Irish Regt. 53 36 years
Disease… States that he went out to France at the end of January. Has been in the trenches and states that be became broken up by the strain & that his feet became bad. Was slightly deaf in his right ear with some discharge. Had dizziness & headache while in France.
Examination Pays attention to what is said to him, but attention is inclined to wander & he is very absent minded. Association & habits normal. Coenaesthesis normal. Cutaneous senses normal. Complains of buzzing noises in right ear. Denies the existence of any hallucinations. Instincts normal. No tendency to imitation. G.E.T. one of cheerfulness, no excess of emotional change noted at present. There are no perversions of ideation but patient appears to be markedly eccentric. Articulation, speech & language normal. Relation of external world & self normal. Judgement? No perversions or defect of volition noted. Memory is quite fair in all respects for a man of 53. Self control normal. He was at front at Dicky Bosh. Reported sick for frost-bite end of Jan – then became very emotional & had crying attacks when questioned.
XXX unknown signature
Patient is cheerful & well behaved. Is somewhat dull but amuses himself with games & reading. Eats and sleeps well.
Improvement steadily maintained. Discharged on one month’s sick furlough
XXX unknown signature
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Posted on 2 November 2018 under Moss Side Military Hospital
